I almost didn't write this, because I genuinely love this office. I've been a patient here for…read moreyears and have always been warmly welcomed by the front desk. But the way I was spoken to and treated this morning has stayed with me all day, and I think future patients deserve to know.
I had a 9:15am appointment. I parked at 8:50 to give staff time to get settled and was at the door at 9:02, after the 9am opening. The door was locked. The receptionist heard me try the handle, unlocked it, and walked back to her desk. I opened the door myself to the back of her head and had to say good morning first. No greeting, no apology for the locked door.
She asked if I had an appointment and handed me an intake form. My pen kept giving me trouble, so I asked for a new pen and a fresh form so it would be neat. She gave me the pen, but when I asked for the form she asked, "Does it not work?" I didn't understand, and she repeated, "Does the form not work?" It was a blank sheet of paper. I shouldn't have had to explain myself to get one.
After I turned in the form and my insurance card, I asked whether she'd like me to wait at the counter or take a seat. Her answer: "You can do what you want."
After a while she told me my insurance "doesn't work" and "nothing is coming up," with no explanation of what she was seeing or whether there was an error. I have a PPO. She went to the back, came out, and told me I could go to urgent care or find another doctor. It was Saturday, I was already there, and my eye issue needed to be addressed without delay. I asked her to clarify, and she repeated it. Only when I asked whether self-pay was an option did she tell me it would be $200. I paid it so I could be seen. I'm still not sure my insurance information was entered correctly.
At checkout I emailed a copy of my insurance card, after explaining it wouldn't go through by text. She kept checking the office's text messages anyway, eventually found the email, then spent a long time with her back to me trying to print it. I finally asked politely if I could just pay and she could deal with the printer afterward. When I asked about tap-to-pay, she said yes, but I'd have to come around to her side of the desk because the reader wouldn't reach. I wasn't comfortable doing that, so I reached over and tapped my phone myself. She handed me my receipt without a thank you. I said thank you and left.
The doctor was amazing, and I would gladly see that doctor again, along with my regular doctor. But my rating reflects the experience as a whole, and the front desk made this visit one I wouldn't want to repeat. I'll think twice about coming back as long as this front desk staff stays the same. The front desk is the first and last impression of a medical office, and today it turned a stressful morning into a much worse one. I hope management takes a look at this.
